Who We Are

Kirsten has been coaching executives, middle managers and teams for global corporations since 1996. She also designed and delivered large leadership development programs all over the globe. In 2016 she was certified as Master Certified Coach.

She has coached over 3000 hours as a professional coach and passed the thorough exams of the International Coach Federation. Kirsten is member of the assessor team for the ICF for MCC and PCC certifications.

Her Solution Focused expertise comes from training directly with the founders of the approach, Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer. She was president of SFCT, the association for the quality development of solution focused consulting and training and founder and member of the editorial team for “InterAction — the journal of solution focus in organisations.”

She is a prolific writer with over 30 articles and two books: “The solution tango” with Louis Cauffman and “Solution Focused Team Coaching“. Kirsten has been running programs to develop professional Solution Focused Coaches since 2008. Her first Accredited Program ran in 2015.

Cristina’s background in compliance, audit, consulting and international business arena made her realize how important coaching was in the current scenario of corporate world. She specializes in coaching organizations and individuals with compliance, audit, and risk management background. Cristina is also very strongly involved in supporting female employees to reach equal opportunities, develop and reach their full potential.

She was introduced to Solution Focused approach during her coaching training with Kirsten and after that by having interactions with members of the SF community. She has been heavily involved in organizing the first 24 hours SF Conference and adapting business models to incorporate SF values.

Cristina’s desire is to enable people to grow and work towards their desired future by means of active listening, powerful questioning, and activating each individuals’ resources.

Besides coaching, she is involved in several consulting and mentoring projects that allow her to use her vast financial and business experience and expertise.

Carlo has been a very passionate trainer for almost 25 years on soft skills, leadership and communication in business environments. he has always worked with medium-high management levels in leading corporations. He has also had 2 experiences in multinational companies as a Training and Development Manager, but he has always returned to his primary passion: training.

In 2013 he started to study and apply the Solution Focused approach to the training programmes he has developed over the years and in the coaching teams in which he took part as a facilitator. At the same time he also focused on supporting others in their personal and professional development in a more “personalised” form through coaching.

In 2024 he became an MCC with SolutionsAcademy with which he currently collaborates as Coach trainer, supervisor and mentor for the support of those who want to access the different accreditation levels.

Originally from South Africa, Chris has found himself travelling and working in various countries and cultural contexts for the past 20 years. A language teacher by training, Chris started exploring how to work more on a human level with language and confidence development which naturally lead down the road of coaching. After coming into contact with the SF approach and completing his PCC certifications, Chris has been actively coaching, mentoring and training with a growing desire to help, give space, and grow continually. He is involved in various projects from internal coaching and supporting to online mentoring and coaching.

Marieluise got to know the SF approach in 2008 when she was looking for a solution to mediation sessions that had become stressful at that time. Through an article by Willi Geisbauer “Behind every problem is a goal” she came across the reteaming training and was immediately enthusiastic about the effect of Solution Focus. She has constantly deepened her expertise in Solution Focus through various further trainings also in solution focused mediation.

She has now worked over 2500 hours as a coach with individuals, leaders and teams. She has been a Master Certified Coach of the International Coach Federation since 2020. She loves the challenge of getting people and teams moving, developing good solutions and supporting the implementation.

She loves to spend her free time in the mountains. Since 2021, Marieluise has been working as a trainer and mentor coach for the Solutions Academy.

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Svea was introduced to the SF Brief Approach in 1988 via Steve de Shazer’s article “Minimal Elegance”. Since then she has pursued a rich and diverse journey with both SFBT and SF Brief Coaching.

She is known for her creative and incisive questioning and her ability to synthesise what seems un-connectable. This has stood her in good stead in her quest to connect the ICF core competencies with the principles and practices of the SF approach. Much of her work is in adult learning and development – as a trainer, a supervisor, a mentor coach for ICF credentialing, and as an SF practitioner.  She continues her interest in all things to do with learning which she honed academically when writing her doctorate titled “The development of eco-systemic thinking: an epistemological study”.

When not busy with being curious, Svea enjoys preparing feasts for friends, reading quietly and has recently discovered the tactically world of playing croquet.

Roy Marriott is a Leadership Coach with a background in software development and research.

He started his career with a degree in Computer Science from Cambridge University, achieving first class honours at age 20. He consulted for BBC, Acorn (now ARM) and Phillips, and worked as a research engineer for BT and HP Research Labs.

He first started coaching professionally in 1994, and in 2005 started training coaching skills to leaders, managers and coaches. He has been delivering coach training remotely since 2012.

Roy is also a developer of innovative coaching models that are in use around the world. These are focused on applications such as Change (without Resistance), Negotiation, Delegation, Feedback, Psychological Safety, Time Mastery, Stress Reduction etc.

He regularly presents at Agile conferences, on topics such as Generating Change without Generating Resistance, Coaching for Complex Situations and Making Feedback Psychologically Safe.

Roy has coached leaders, coaches and teams from organisations such as ARM, DisplayLink, Redgate, BT, European Space Agency, Bain Consulting, Bupa, Cambridge University, NHS, Nestle, National Australia Bank, and many others around the UK and northern Europe.

Roel Schaart is an ICF MCC certified Sparring and Executive Coach and lives with his family in Bremen, Germany. As a previous Tony Robbins Master Coach, he has supported 800 clients worldwide for over 10 years and 8,000 coaching hours. As an active member of the German International Coaching Federation, he has served as a board member for ICF Germany for six years. In addition to coaching entrepreneurs, executives and leadership teams, Roel is also an accredited Master Certified Practitioner in DISC & Motivators and helps coaches and trainers to become certified as an International ICF Mentor.

Roel spends his free time with his family in Bremen doing fitness, riding motorcycles and photography. He completed several marathons, mud and Spartan races world-wide and participated in extensive Navy-seal trainings in the United States.

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Tina has been coaching in organisations and has been involve in coach training in Europe and South Africa for over 20 years. She has completed an MSc in Coaching and was certified as a Master Certified Coach in 2017. Tina is known as a passionate champion of a solution-focused and resource-oriented approach to collaboration as well as a creative thinker and designer of tailor-made and sustainable pieces of work. In her kind, respectful way packed with tons of curiosity, she never shys away from a new challenge and changing terrains, currently adding a PhD in biodiversity management to her experience. Tina is a family person and her priorities revolve around Reinhard (husband) and Sara & Isak (twins). Whenever possible, Tina loves spending her time in the African bush or on the back of a horse. She is a fan of great food with a glass of excellent wine in the company of dear friends.

Alina is a coach, mentor, work and organizational psychologist, facilitator and HR consultant who passionately believes that people are the most precious and valuable resource and wealth that each of us has. Her coaching and facilitating style is characterized by apositive, empowering and heart-centered approach.

With over 20 years of work experience in non-profit, governmental and corporate environments, Alina has an extensive practice in different HR areas (International, Domesticand Learning & Development) which brought her a broad perspective combined with an in-depth understanding of people, organizations, and processes.

Alina’s experience with coaching and mentoring comes from different perspectives: interna lcoach, mentoring program manager (onboarding and leadership development), coaching and mentoring culture facilitator, onboarding mentor, external coach (business, wellbeing and transition).

She is a member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Dutch Institute of Psychologists (NIP), Dutch Association of Professional Coaches (NOBCO) and European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) Romania.

To recharge, she enjoys dancing and playing with her boys, taking long walks in nature, practicing Qigong, travelling and spending time with friends.

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Rafal is an ICF (International Coach Federation) and Hogan Certified Coach with more than 15 years experience building, designing and delivering impactful and transformational training programs for companies such as Barclays Bank, Deloitte and Standard & Poor’s. He works with leaders from start-ups, mid-to-small size businesses, and major global brands to help them navigate their everyday work reality, helping them find their confidence, hone their leadership skills and transform their lives.

He has completed Solution Focused Training with SolutionsAcademy and is now looking after our Polish courses.

He has been helping leaders across various global organisations to adopt solution focused approach in their work and life and thrive.

Rafal has lived and worked in several countries.

He is also passionate about designing and facilitating diversity and inclusion initiatives through workshops, training, and Employee Resources Groups (ERG).

Rafal has been a mentor for several years, both in house, in his roles with Barclays and Deloitte and externally, with organisations supporting underserved communities.

Art Pittman is an executive coach, leadership trainer, and experienced mentor coach based in the US. He has worked with leaders in higher education, governments, and global companies in the information technology, financial services, and pharmaceuticals sectors. While most of his professional history involves corporate work, almost half of his current coaching and mentoring clients support social justice and health equity initiatives.

As a solutions-focused coach, his practice centers on helping others to develop skills like authenticity, agility, and accountability. As a mentor coach, Art helps aspiring coaches to use less “advice-giving” behaviors and more “asking, listening, and supporting” skills.

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Gesa has been working solution focused in coaching, training and consulting for global corporations, project teams and social organizations since 1998. She has run change management and organizational development projects and brings her expertise into coach training and leadership development programs. In 2016 she was certified as Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the ICF.

She has coached over 2000 hours as a professional coach and especially likes the fun and challenge of team coachings. Being trained directly by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer as founders of the approach, Gesa could build her Solution Focused expertise. Her work was enriched by the professional exchange of solution focused consultants and coaches at annual conferences of the network SOLWORLD. Coach training programs in Africa and India broadened her international experience.

Gesa has been running programs to develop professional Solution Focused Coaches since 2004 for different coaching institutes. She also works as a psychotherapist and supervisor in her own practice with systemic, hypnosystemic and integral counseling skills.

She added an article to the book Solution Tools, a practical workshop guide and published a book for midwives specialised in training in the health sector in Germany.

Jason has been working in the space of organizational transformation, team agility, and leadership coaching for the last 15 years and is based in the US. He leverages his leadership experiences from the military, consulting and fintech to develop high-performing leaders and teams.  Jason served over 7 years as a military officer after graduating from West Point, and then went on to earn his MBA and an MA in Higher Ed. Administration before transitioning to corporate roles and starting his coaching and consulting businesses.

Jason has over 2000 hours of combined team and executive coaching. He is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) with the International Coaching Federation and is trained in Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC). In his coaching, Jason stays curious, and helps people be more human and purposeful at work and in life. Jason is a father of three, a former adrenaline junkie, and a bit of a bibliophile. He tries not to take himself too seriously and strives for gratitude and learning every day.

Naomi Whitehead (she/her) is a Solution-Focused practitioner (IASTI, EMCC SP, ICF PCC). Naomi works online, in Sheffield, across the UK, and internationally, as a Solution-Focused coach and trainer. Naomi's background in working with and coordinating services for adults facing multiple and complex challenges that have experienced homelessness, supporting young people involved in the criminal justice system and substance misuse, and managing voluntary sector projects, informs the structured yet playful, curious and deeply respectful stance she brings to all her work. Naomi discovered the Solution-Focused approach in 2003 and was most inspired by its potential three years later when volunteering in two young people's prisons in Bolivia, South America. In 2015 Naomi became a freelance practitioner with a portfolio including executive and young women's coaching and international training around current approaches and innovations. Between 2019 to 2022 Naomi represented the UK on the European Brief Therapy Association (EBTA) and the International Cooperation Task Group and is currently a full member of SFiO.

Debra was introduced to coaching in 2006 when working as a financial administrator. In 2010 she was fortunate to start her training journey with Svea van der Hoorn in the SF Brief Approach while working as an internal coach, coaching leaders, employees and teams. She has worked within the financial, operational and HR roles. She has been a member of ICF since 2015 and obtained her ICF PCC certification in 2019. She also obtained an ICAgile HR certification in 2020, through Agile People. She is a qualified Radiographer / Sonographer which adds diversity to her work experience.

She has continued her learning journey through Solutions Academy, having attended SF Fundamentals course, SF Masterclass, Mentor Coaching and more recently the SF Coach Supervision course. She is passionate about the development and wellbeing of people and also offers in-house leadership development workshops and personal wellbeing workshops.

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Elfie leads the Center for Solution Focused Leadership in Switzerland together with Dominik Godat. She also co-founded the podcast “www.sfontour.com/simplyfocuspodcast” focusing on a life with joy and ease. Elfie is a lecturer for the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and a co-lead of the course for Solution Focused leadership there. She is the publisher of the magazin “Persönlichkeit”. Elfie holds a masters degree from the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Rosa is a coach and therapist who embarked on her coaching journey in 2017, guided by the transformative SF Brief Approach under the mentorship of Dr. Svea van der Hoorn. She has over 12 years of expertise working in the mental health space, with clients experiencing stress and anxiety, trauma, grief, relationship problems, and different forms of abuse. She has also worked extensively for a number of NGOs. Rosa holds an MSc in Community Mental Health Promotion, showcasing her dedication to innovation through her thesis, "Coaching as an Intervention to SupportMental Health Workers in South Africa."

Certified by ICF and EMCC, Rosa completed her coaching training in South Africa and further trained with Solutions Academy in fundamentals, master coaching, mentoring, and supervision. At present, she is part of the team who are developing the Spanish coaching program at Solutions Academy.  Rosa is involved in the coaching training, mentor coaching  and supervision.

Rosa is a driving force in mental health and wellness coaching, supporting clients to build resilience, manage stress, cope with change and obtain a life balance.She runs a  thriving private practice inCape Town, where she sees a diverse clientele, both locally and internationally, in-person and through online sessions. Her professionalism is guided by ICF core competencies and SF principles, and is evident in her counselling, coaching, training, and mentorship roles. Beyond her professional pursuits,Rosa finds fulfilment in family time, reading, and yoga.

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Raluca joined professional coaching back in 2014, following a career in training and development of over 10 years that took her through different roles, such as leadership and communication trainer, facilitator, consultant, manager, working with multinational organizations crossing a number of different industries.

Raluca has coached top management team members, middle managers, and senior experts, from organizations such as Servier, Novartis, Danone, Vodafone, Friesland,Honeywell, Federal Mogul, WNS, Inditex and many others on a variety of themes covering leadership style enhancement, relationship intelligence, team effectiveness,self-leadership, personal impact and influence etc.

She also finds great satisfaction in accompanying teams on their journey of working on their interpersonal dynamics, as well as their team purpose and business goals.

In addition to that ,Raluca is working as a mentor coach for Solutions Academy alumni to support them become their best versions of being a coach, as well as guide them in the process of attaining their ACC or PCC credential levels.

As a personal philosophy, she strongly believes that people have all they need to achieve their dreams, and transformation is not only possible, but it is built into the very nature of who we are as human beings.

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Domink leads the Center for Solution Focused Leadership in Switzerland together with Elfie Czerny. He also co-founded the podcast “www.sfontour.com/simplyfocuspodcast” focusing on a life with joy and ease.  Dominik is a board member of the Solution Focused Brief Therapy Association and the author of “Lösungen auf der Spur – Wirkungsvoll führen dank Lösungsfokus” He is the publisher of the magazine “Persönlichkeit”. Dominik holds a degree in political science from the University of Basel focusing on organization, leadership and human resources.

English:

Emily is ICF certified PCC coach and EMCC senior practitioner. She started coaching in 2019. She is an experience leadership and career coach. She started as the founder of a career consulting company CrossdiveCareer, then later worked as an in-house leadership coach with American company Plato from 2021 to 2023, and freelanced with coaching Platform Torch, Speexx, Carrerfoundry and Blinkist. Now she is a leadership trainer and coach of NIIT, a world leading L&D company. her clients are tech and product leaders from new managers to CTOs. Emily lived and worked in Europe for 10 years with background in consulting, talent development and change management, worked both in corporations such as Amway and startup company Plato, she coaches in Mandarin and English.

Chinese:

王雪滢是ICF 认证的PCC教练，以及EMCC欧洲认证的高级教练SP。

她在领导力教练、组织教练和职业教练方面有4年的经验，为包括总监和高管级别的成熟职业人士提供过教练服务。此外，还有6年为职业转型者和外籍人士提供导师服务的经验。总共累计教练时数800+。目前在国际教练著名提供商Torch，Speexx, 德国国家就业发展合作机构careerfoundry，以及NIIT人才发展公司担任领导力讲师和教练。

她在欧洲旅居并工作近10年，在上海工作两年，目前在国内。她的职业背景主要涉及咨询、培训和教育领域，在变革管理、人才管理和客户管理方面经验丰富。曾担任过客户经理、教练和培训主管等职务，曾在欧洲安利，硅谷初创公司Plato等国际企业就职。。她能够熟练用英文和普通话进行教练访谈。

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Jane is from the UK originally and has been based in Singapore for 10 years. She trained as a clinical psychologist over 15 years ago and has been a coach for over 10 years. Having lived and worked in 4 countries across 3 continents, her area of expertise is coaching through transitions. Whether this is a new job, new life stage or moving country, her focus is on helping people thrive in their new setting. She has a keen interest in working cross culturally and this led to co-editing a book on Solution Focused Practice in Asia.

She has a passion for developing others particularly through supervision. She brings over 15 years experience as a clinical supervisor, supervising over 100 healthcare professionals,  to her work as a coach supervisor. Having found training in SFBT in 2009 completely changed her mindset to her work and life, she loves supporting others in their SF journey through supervision, teaching and mentoring. She is currently training as a PCC assessor and working towards MCC.

She is a busy mum of two striving to practise what she preaches about work life balance and loves reading, cooking, playing mahjong and travelling.

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Abby Chen has over 20 years of management and hands-on experience in talent development and organizational change. She trains professional coaches for various organizations in the coaching field and is an experienced coach trainer. Additionally, she provides leadership development and team coaching services to state-owned enterprises, foreign enterprises, private companies, and non-profit organization.

Abby Chen 拥有20年以上的人才发展和组织变革方面的管理与实操经验。她在教练领域为不同的机构培养专业教练，是一个很有经验的教练培训师。而且她为国企、外企、民营企业和公益组织等提供领导力发展和团队教练服务。

Debbie is a psychotherapist, coach, trainer and supervisor and has been coaching executives, leaders and teams since 1993. She has been actively involved in the development of coaches since 2004. She was trained by Insoo Kim Berg and Steve de Shazer, the developers of solution focused practiced, and was instrumental in the development of the CCPC and IASTI certifications in solution focused coaching. Debbie is a Master Solution Focused Coach, Master Certified Coach and part of the PCC Assessor Community with the ICF. She served as Vice President and Director of Membership for ICF Singapore for 2 years. She is a Master Practitioner and Global Coach Supervisor with the EMCC.  Debbie has contributed to several books and co-editor of Solution Focused Practice in Asia. She has had a life long interest in the area of resilience in individuals and teams. She enjoys swimming, gardening and watching movies.

Erdem has been coaching executives, middle managers and teams for global corporations since 2013. In 2018 he was certified as Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and he has coached over 2.000 hours.

He combines his Emotional Intelligence (EQAP&EQAC& EQAT -Six Seconds) and Body Language – Micro-expressions (ETAC&ESAC) expertise with 18 years of management and 12 years of entrepreneurship experience. With over 3,000 hours of Training, 1300 hours of Consulting and 50 hours of Speaking experience, he works with local and international companies since 2013 at Hayatın Ritmi Training Coaching Consultancy in which he founded.

For 25 years he has been dancing Tango and Sirtaki. He designed the “Teamwork with Sirtaki” training by blending his Sirtaki experience with his Instructor and Coaching experience. He created the ICF approved CCE certified “Tango & Coaching” training.

His purpose is “To contribute to people’s positive change, to clarify their goals, to be a beacon for them.” With this aim, he works to contribute to the positive change of individuals and organizations.

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Marc Bürgi is an independent, certified coach for leaders, teams, and talents. His first coaching experience was in 2004 when he had a useful coffee conversation and there by co-created structure, clarity, and a solution to a before stuck situation for a friend.

Today, he works digitally and in person with international professionals across different organisational levels from Switzerland. As a solution-focused coach, systemic practitioner with a PhD in systems approaches and an adult educator diploma, Marc is a trusted partner for coach education, leadership and organisational development. Among his clients are leading international corporations and SMEs from various industries, as well as NGOs and governmental institutions.

Marc is married, father of two and he takes an active role in the family. He travelled Europe, South America, India, Australia, Thailand, and Laos, and trained as an assistant scuba diving instructor. As a former track and field athlete he enjoys outdoor sports. You would meet him near a lake for watersports, on skis in the Alps, or on his mountain bike in the nearby woods. Marc recharges while meditating.

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Ralf has a background in agile and organizational coaching in various industries including banking, electronics, automotive and air traffic management. During his career, he has held several international leadership positions and has put a focus on international collaboration and distributed teams which blends perfectly with his interest in traveling and foreign culture. Besides Europe, he experienced significant stays in Asia, USA and South America. He is very comfortable talking both English and German and is currently working on his Spanish skills.

His solution focused coaching journey began in 2016, mainly driven by contacts into the agile community and the wish to promote organizational team work and leadership with coaching approaches. Further steps on his learning path were the coaching in organizations and SF supervision education at Solutions Academy and an ICF PCC credential.

Ralf’s work focus points are agile coaching and leadership coaching for a wide variety of clients, developing a coaching culture in organizations as well as individual coaching supervision and mentoring.

Ralf holds a Master’s degree from the technical university of Graz and is currently pursuing an MBA program and the coaching masterclass path from Solutions Academy.

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Jan graduated from Nottingham Trent Universitywith a degree in Law and Economics. Throughout his life, he has had a closerelationship with sports, which led him to pursue a career as a tennis coach.He has taught numerous youth and adult players.

To work more effectively, he decided toundergo various training programs to enhance his teaching and leadershipskills. This journey led him to discover coaching, which has since become hislife’s passion. He has a strong affinity for the solution-focused approach,which is a key element of his philosophy on personality development.

Jan’s mission is to coach and guide leaders ontheir journey to mastery in leadership and life. His core value is freedom. Hebelieves that developing leaders—whether in smaller companies or largecorporations—can have a significant positive impact on the quality of life forsociety as a whole. He is passionate about learning new things and maintains apositive outlook.

Janachieved PCC certification from the International Coach Federation (ICF). Withten years of experience in coaching, he has worked with nearly 250 clients andconducted over 3,000 individual coaching sessions. Currently, Jan teaches theSolution Focused approach in the Czech Republic alongside his colleague, MichalHolub.

While Jennifer was introduced to the Solution Focused approach via her social work background from 1998-2008, she was reinvigorated by a new passion with the SF approaches applied to coaching when she attended Kirsten’s programs in 2018. It totally changed her life, including helping her on her journey to PCC in 2020.

Throughout her career as a coach, Jennifer has been coaching executives, middle managers, C-Suite of Startups, and teams for global corporations. She has also designed and delivered cross cultural leadership, project management and mobility sessions with a focus on software teams working between the US and India.

Of the over 100 programs that Jennifer has created and delivered; she enjoys the team coaching programs the most. The incredible shifts that teams experience in these programs are coined in the discovery phase as “lofty” or “out of reach.” We notice through the evolution of these programs that “out of reach” goals manifest into reality through elevated workflows, leadership, team cohesiveness, project management and client outcomes.

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Michal began his career as a programmer butquickly discovered that his passion lay in working with people rather thancomputers. His first leadership experience came through Toastmasters, where heserved as both Club President and Area Director.

Combining his background in IT with leadershipskills, a transition into IT sales was a natural next step. He initially tookon the role of Key Account Manager, where his success led to rapid promotionsto Country Manager and, subsequently, International Sales Manager.

Despitethriving in these roles, Michal’s true calling was coaching. He decided toleave his corporate career to pursue coaching full-time as a freelancer. Overtime, he explored various coaching methodologies before discovering theSolution Focus approach, which resonated with him due to its simplicity andeffectiveness. Today, Michal teaches the Solution Focus approach in the CzechRepublic alongside his colleague, Jan Studeny.

Monika has been coaching executives, middle management and young high potentials in an international context since 2010.

Sheis an ICF certified PCC coach and holds a diploma as a certified businesscoach.  She was president of the ICF Chapter Germany. Monika holds a PhD in Cultural History and teaches at universities in Austria and abroad. She was also accredited at the UN, at the UNODC in Vienna for several years. Monika is also active as a book author and publisher. One of her authors is the crime novelist Wolf Haas. She has edited a book and has also published articles in magazines and as co-author.

Since 1994 she has been teaching languages, culture and intercultural soft skills at universities and institutions. 

Monika coaches in Russian, Polish, English and German.

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